An ultrasound system has become an important and popular diagnostic tool since it has a wide range of applications. Specifically, due to its non-invasive and non-destructive nature, the ultrasound system has been extensively used in the medical profession. Modern high-performance ultrasound systems and techniques are commonly used to produce two-dimensional or three-dimensional ultrasound images of internal features of a target object (e.g., human organs).
The ultrasound system may transmit ultrasound signals to a living body by using an ultrasound probe. The living body includes a target object (e.g., heart, fetus, etc.). The ultrasound signals from the ultrasound probe are transmitted as an ultrasound beam to the living body. The ultrasound system may further receive ultrasound signals (i.e., ultrasound echo signals) from the living body. The ultrasound system may also form an ultrasound image of the living body based on the received ultrasound echo signals. Various techniques have been studied to enhance resolution of the ultrasound image. Spatial compounding is known as one of such techniques.
The spatial compounding is an imaging technique that forms a compound image by combining ultrasound images. That is, the ultrasound system forms a plurality of ultrasound images and performs the spatial compounding upon the ultrasound images to form an ultrasound spatial compound image.
Generally, as the depth becomes shallower or deeper based on a focusing point FP, the spreading of the ultrasound beam becomes serious. An artifact that a size of point targets seems differently in the ultrasound spatial compound image even for an identical size of the point targets PT in the living body. That is, a blurring, which makes the ultrasound spatial compound image unclear, may occur. Accordingly, this presents a problem since the ultrasound spatial compound image corresponding to the original shape and size of the target object cannot be provided.